Police hunt man after girl grabbed

Police were today trying to trace a man who grabbed a 15-year-old girl by the arm in an alleyway in Cannock.

They are also stepping up patrols in that area of the town after the suspicious incident.

The girl was walking along an alley between Stafford Road and Bevan Lee Road at around 3pm on Friday when the man pulled her coat at the back of her left arm. The girl turned round, pulled her arm back and walked off.

The man did not say anything to her and picked up a cylindrical sports bag which had been left under a lamp post before leaving the alley.

The girl told police she had seen the man occasionally walking in the Bevan Lee estate, but he had never spoken to her or approached her before. On one occasion, he walked with a limp.

Insp Pat Shannaghan said: "The man has made no serious attempt to grab the girl, but it has caused her some alarm. We are stepping up patrols and are treating the incident as suspicious."

The man is about 5ft 8in, in his early 30s, with a light brown goatee. He wore a light green beanie hat, green waterproof jacket, and smelled of cigarette smoke.

Police will be advising schools of the incident.

Anyone with information is urged to call Cannock police on 0300 123 4455, or Crimestoppers, in confidence, on 0800 555 111.